


Have a Dance?

by lagunasfaeries



Series: Melusina Kresnik Learns To Be Human [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, if you're not into AUs you're gonna have a bad time, in which there's a ball going on somewhere in Ul'dah I guess, it really doesn't matter to me, make it fit into canon if you want, oh yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-30 01:30:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20806283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lagunasfaeries/pseuds/lagunasfaeries
Summary: An AU in which Thancred asks the lovely maiden he's fallen for, for a dance. If only she understood that he was asking her for much more.





	Have a Dance?

**Author's Note:**

> so yep I haven't gotten far in XIV yet not only am I thirsty for Thancred, I'm so attached to my wol and the backstory I've written around her and I want them to experience happiness together ;-;

As the moon shone through the exquisite, large windows of the ballroom, the guests waltzing to their hearts' content, none stopped to notice they were being watched. Not with any malice- the quiet blue-haired girl stood at the table decorated with high-class snacks, sipping the velvety red wine she held in her right hand. She wouldn't necessarily call herself an introvert, but in times like these- times that weren't familiar to her, in places where she felt foreign- she almost always decided that observing was the better choice. Humans were fascinating creatures, and her observational prowess was its strongest when she let herself fade into the background. 

Of course, she was a human herself- as a midland Hyur, arguably one of the most human here- but there had been certain circumstances in her life that made her feel distanced from other humans. And she didn't mind this. Humans were interesting creatures, yes, but she felt that if she didn't retain this distance from them, she'd have already tired of their antics. 

"Ah! Melusina."

She jumped, startled, before hissing at the appropriate person who had called her. 

"Why can't you just scream, like a normal person?" Thancred lightly teased her. 

"That would require me to be a normal person, now, wouldn't it?" Melusina primly sipped her wine. "Good evening, Thancred. You look rather dapper tonight."

"Well, the occasion called for it." He turned in a slow circle, showing off his white suit with black accents. "I'm used to seeing you in frills, but this is... different, somehow."

Perhaps it was the poofiness of Melusina's lavender ballgown, or the fact that the off-shoulder top showed the slightest amount of her chest- she'd always been well-covered, in that aspect. 

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Thancred then asked. 

"Hm. I haven't been here too terribly long." Melusina glanced out toward the other patrons on the ballroom floor. "I think... that this is one of those human pastimes that I'll have to grow into. There's something about large crowds of them that's... intimidating, while I'm so used to being... the way I am."

Thancred looked down at her sympathetically, before noticing she had a shoulder bag on and tensing. "Uh, there's. There's not a snake in there again, is there?"

"I'm not _that_ tone-deaf to social situations." Melusina giggled, daintily covering her mouth with her free hand. "As much as it pained me, I left all my friends at home today. Which is a shame, because I think they'd have liked the interior here." 

"Uh...huh." Thancred still didn't understand Melusina's connection to her snakes, but in some ways, he admired it. She was so devoted to the three that occupied her apartment that one day he spotted her knitting decorations for the area they occupied, stating that she was using all their favorite colors. 

"Do you dance, Melusina?"

"Can't say I do. I enjoy watching, but I've never had a mind to try myself," she replied. 

"I don't suppose you would like to try now?" Thancred held out a hand. 

"Well, I..." Melusina was flustered. She hadn't anticipated seeing the dashing man tonight, let alone have him asking her to dance. "I suppose there's no harm. Let's dance."

As the two set out on the dance floor, Melusina had some difficulty following the exact steps that Thancred tried to lead her into. Her movements across the floor were smooth and elegant; they were just completely wrong. 

"You weren't kidding about not being a dancer, were you?" asked Thancred. 

"Why would I make light of that?" Melusina tilted her head, confused. 

Thancred had to remember that Melusina didn't quite understand that not all questions were meant to be answered. Honestly, that was one of the things that made him interested in her. Interacting with Melusina was never predictable, but not to the point where it was stressful; she was that right amount of off-beat that made communication fun and exciting. 

"You're quiet," she noted. "For... a reason?"

"Thinking."

"Hm." Melusina smiled. "I think I understand these simple steps now. Might we move on to something more complex?"

"Yeah, of course." Thancred began to lead her in a simple waltz. 

Thancred thought, then, of the first time Melusina had invited him into her home. Thinking she had baser instincts in mind, he questioned how old she was (because her petite frame and youthful face didn't exactly reveal it well), and she'd responded, "hmm, maybe about 27?" 

Did she not know how old she was? 

There was also the time that he'd visited to find that she was eating a sandwich for lunch that was just bread and cactus skin. She'd said the cactus was the perfect standalone ingredient, but he couldn't fathom someone actually chewing and swallowing that. 

Melusina Kresnik was a strange one, for sure. 

"I don't think I'm used to you being so quiet, Thancred," she said softly. "Did something happen before you arrived; is that why you're so pensive?" 

"Not at all. I'm just basking in your beauty, Melusina." 

"Oh! Must you be this way?" she asked, slightly flustered. 

Melusina wasn't used to trying to figure out her human emotions, but one thing she was quite certain of was that she was fond of Thancred in a way that was different to the way she was fond of her snakes, or anyone else she cared about. She still wasn't sure what exactly this meant, though, and figured it would take hours more of studying humans before she understood. 

"Why don't we go somewhere private, talk about things?" suggested Thancred. "There's a balcony nearby that I hear gives the most romantic views in all the land."

"I suppose." Melusina nodded. "The quiet will be nice." 

The two linked arms, before heading toward a set of double doors, leading to a balcony with intricate art nouveau designs, bathed in moonlight, a gentle breeze blowing. 

"This is beautiful reading weather." Melusina smiled, holding her hands to her chest as she closed her eyes. "I vaguely remember that I could only study, as a child, at night. The days were so miserably hot that it was near impossible to concentrate on anything-" she suddenly became largely aware of Thancred gazing at her. 

"It's nice when you mention stories of before you came to Ul'dah. It makes it easier to understand why you're the way you are," he explained. 

"Yes, well, I do it in hopes I can remember farther back than being a teenager," replied Melusina. "I have the vague memory of the snakes' nest, but even that must have been when I was around... nine, I suppose? There's still so much time unaccounted for... but I do try to not dwell on that too much, for I have unaccounted time ahead of me, as well, and I intend to make it a joyful time."

"Oh, is that why you're not so sure of how old you are- because you can't really remember being a child?" Thancred suddenly had the realization. 

"I suppose one could say that. Chronologically, I know I'm about 27. But I don't know when my birthday is, so I may still be 26…" Melusina thought. "Ah, it's no use. Everything's so blank when I try to remember that far back." 

Thancred pitied her for this. He wasn't exactly proud of his past, and thought sometimes that he would like to forget the more unsavory parts, but this poor girl had forgotten so much of it that she couldn't even remember her own birthday, let alone if she'd ever had any family. 

Perhaps this was partly why she was so attached to her snakes. Even so, thought Thancred, what an odd creature to latch onto. 

"I don't… really get sad anymore about my memories I've lost, but my, would it be nice to have a birthday party someday," Melusina added softly. 

"Why don't we?" Thancred asked then. "In order for you to continue counting your age, you have to decide on what point it is that you've lived for another year, right? In a sense, you should create your own birthday!"

"Oh, that does make sense!" Melusina clapped her hands joyfully. "Oh. Wait. I don't have any friends yet in Ul'dah. Who would I invite, should I have a party?" 

"It doesn't have to be extravagant. You could celebrate with your, er, snake friends. And, of course, I'll find a way to come as long as it doesn't cross my duties."

"Oh! Thancred, so… we're friends, then?" 

There was something about Melusina's smile. Her resting face, because of the shape of her cheeks and mouth, always looked a bit like she was pouting, and Thancred had always thought that was adorable. But when she motioned to smile, and was particularly happy about something, it was infectious. 

"Did you not consider us friends before now?" Thancred asked dramatically. 

"Well, my studies of humans show that we'd have needed to interact at least three more times before we could consider ourselves friends." Melusina was in human-study-data mode now. "On average, based on my observations, humans prefer to meet with one another in leisurely activities, whereas we only seem to find each other when I'm in some type of peril-"

"Melusina." Thancred was trying his hardest to not laugh. 

"What's so funny?"

"I don't think I've ever met anyone who tried to put a formula to _making friends_," he replied. "You know, the fun of humans- I like to think- is that we're not always predictable. You continue your studies, but try to remember that not everything is formulaic." 

"I see." Melusina nodded. 

A comfortable silence passed between the two then, as they both looked out to the lands stretching out below the balcony. 

"But, Thancred, if it is not productive to turn my findings of humans into formulas, what purpose do my studies serve? Will I ever understand humans?! Will I-"

"Shh." Thancred had turned to her, and gently placed a finger on her lips. "You shouldn't get so worked up about it. Things will work out, okay?"

"Yes, but…" Melusina sighed. "Until then, whatever shall I do, knowing that everyone stares at me because I'm different?" 

"Why don't you try focusing on those who think you're perfect as you are?" 

This suggestion confused Melusina. "Those who think-"

She was cut off when Thancred used his finger to tilt her chin higher, angling her face to look directly at his own. "Surely, you recognize that we exist." 

Melusina was lost for words. "What… exactly do you mean?" she asked. 

"Is it so difficult to tell?" They were less than a hand's length apart. 

Melusina opened her mouth to speak, and Thancred took the small chance to bestow his lips upon her own, carefully, gently. Immediately, the feelings that she felt for him swell inside her, as she wondered- was this the right thing to do? She'd only read about this, but my, did it certainly feel right…

As they separated, Melusina found herself hungering for more, quickly wrapping her arms around Thancred's neck, to pull him back in for another kiss. He obliged, his mouth melding perfectly with the movements of her own. 

They separated again, for a breath. "Well, Melusina. You're certainly…" Thancred paused, surprisingly lost for words. "Everything I expected you to be."

"Hm? What does that mean?" she asked, with her familiar confused head tilt. 

"That I could kiss you for hours more." 

"I shan't prevent you from doing so." 

And so they kissed again, Thancred's baser thoughts thinking of how he'd love to begin unlacing the corset at the back of Melusina's dress; but no, she was much too innocent to be thinking such base thoughts already, and he pushed them aside. He wasn't used to having to wait for a woman to be open to him in that way, but for a girl like her, he was willing to take things as slow as he needed. 

He was absolutely smitten. 

"Um, may I…" Melusina spoke again. "Might I ask for another dance? I think I'd quite like to dance with you again."

If only she knew that Thancred would never refuse a dance with her- that he'd agree now and forever. For now, he responded with a simple, "Of course." 

And so, the two joined hands and went back indoors to rejoin the dance floor.


End file.
